We live in a modern world where technology is developing at an unprecedented rate, but what is the impact of this – and what does the future hold – for the world of family history? Join Sir Tony Robinson and Brad Argent from Ancestry as they discuss the past, present and future of the industry and how the way we learn about our ancestors, and ourselves is changing.

For most of us, Christmas is about family. But what happens when you don’t know who your family are? Phyllis Little was given up at birth, and always wondered about her birth family. Her daughter, Sally, joins Sir Tony Robinson to talk about her rollercoaster journey to finding her family.

In the first episode of our ‘It’s About Time’ festive specials, Sir Tony Robinson tells the story of writer Charles Dickens’ life and how this inspired the novella ‘A Christmas Carol’. Come with us on a journey from Dickens’ childhood through to the secret that emerged following the death of his last surviving child – a truth Dickens went to great pains to conceal when he was alive…

Rather than tell a single story from history, this episode of It’s About Time sees our host Sir Tony Robinson – a born and bred Londoner – tackle a rather more lengthy tale of human evolution before focusing on his own story of family and identity after taking a DNA test.

In episode four, Sir Tony Robinson looks at the ancestors of Star Wars’ Luke Skywalker – Mark Hamill in real life – and finds tales of adventure that echo those of the great journey of self-discovery made by the young Jedi in the iconic film series.

America, Australia and Ethiopia. In episode three of It’s About Time, Sir Tony Robinson tells of how the Pankhurst sisters split and would come to rest in three different corners of the globe after becoming synonymous with the movement for women’s suffrage in Britain.

In episode two, Sir Tony Robinson looks at how Charlie Chaplin and hundreds of thousands of other immigrants got to America in the early 1900s, through the prism of the satire and irony woven into one of Chaplin’s most famous films – The Immigrant.

Sir Tony Robinson tells the tale of Joseph Meadows, who was sentenced to death in 1855 for the jealous murder of his ‘sister’, Mary Ann Mason, declaring. “I’ve had my revenge; I have heard them say revenge is sweet. I left home for that purpose. I’ve done it, and I am satisfied.”

Experience stories from the past, brought to life in the present with ‘It’s About Time’. This brand new podcast series, brought to you by Ancestry, breathes new life into remarkable stories from history. Start listening to Series One, narrated by the one and only, Sir Tony Robinson.